An acrobat said he was "thrilled to death" after being granted rare permission
to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls.

Members of the Flying Wallendas tightrope-walking family perform the seven-person Great Pyramid at the Michigan State Fair Grounds in Detroit,Photo: EPA

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In 1995 Robert Overacker fell to his death at Niagara Falls when his parachute failed to open when his Jet Ski reached the lip of the Horsehoe FallsPhoto: AP Photo/Amr Ramadan Hassan

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The American portion of Niagara Falls (left) and the Canadian 'Horseshoe Falls' (top right)Photo: AP

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Tightrope walker The Great Blondin gained celebrity status for his idea of crossing the gorge below Niagara Falls in 1859Photo: LSC Collection

By Victoria Ward

7:20AM GMT 17 Feb 2012

Nik Wallenda, who comes from a family of circus performers, plans to carry out the stunt this summer. He said he was “thrilled to death” at the prospect.

If successful, he will become the first to achieve the feat in 100 years. He will not wear a safety harness for the 1,800ft-long walk, which is expected to take around 40 minutes.

The 33-year-old, a member of the Flying Wallendas circus clan, said he had wanted to walk across the falls since he was young and that his mother had made him special suede soled shoes for the occasion.

The American portion of Niagara Falls (left) and the Canadian 'Horseshoe Falls' (top right)

"My dream is to walk into the mist, disappear, and walk out the other end," he told the BBC.

"Why we're actually doing it is to pay tribute to the rich history, the long-ago history, of tightrope-walking and daredevils at Niagara Falls."

The Great Blondin crossing the Niagara gorge in 1859

Jean Francois Gravelet, known as Charles Blondin, was the first person to to make the tightrope walk in June 1859 and went on to complete it several times. However, his stunt was downstream from the actual waterfall.

Mr Wallenda, a father of three from Florida, currently holds six Guinness World Records, including the longest distance and greatest height travelled by bicycle on a high wire.